Posts by Phil Burgess

New Year’s Eve was a dreary day in Annapolis. It was cold and rainy. Little did I know that my day would soon be filled with the light of Frank Jones whose uplifting manner and inspiring story could raise the spirits of even a Scrooge or Grinch. It goes like this. Jones was born in…

Pessimists abound. Especially when it comes to aging. During the holiday period, I was reading a magazine piece on aging where the theme was “so much behind us; so little ahead.” That caused me to recall another’s definition of “old” as when you cross the tipping point, with fewer years going forward than you’ve already…

Among life’s many blessings are opportunities we have to help another realize a dream. We do it all the time, especially with our life partners and our children – everything from enduring faithfulness to a bicycle at Christmas for a hopeful 10-year-old. Less frequently, but sometimes even with a good friend or protégé, we learn…

Last week, Mary Sue and I were ringing bells for the Salvation Army’s red donation kettle located at City Dock by Zachery’s jewelry store in downtown Annapolis. That’s when I first met Steve Rice. Like many others that brisk Monday morning, Rice dropped a contribution into the kettle. As I said, “Thanks a lot, sir…and…

Buying a Christmas gift for friends or relatives in their bonus years can be a challenge. For example, what kind of gift do you buy for the bonus years empty-nester who is already downsizing? What do you get people who have arrived at that point in their life where they have “stuff” everywhere and are…

I’ve known Bill Lesko for more than two decades. But not really, I discovered. Last week, I found out why: Lesko and his partner, Martha Fox, a retired elementary school math teacher, are always on the go. Lesko is always interesting – beginning with his six-years of volunteer work to restore and crew the SS…

Thursday next is Thanksgiving – first proclaimed by George Washington in 1789 and formally established as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. None of us should need a special day to count our blessings or express gratitude. Still, Thanksgiving is a special American celebration – dating back to the Pilgrims’ landing in Massachusetts…

Most of us came face-to-face with a geography course somewhere along the way. For me, it happened in middle school. That’s when I learned there are many island nations. It’s not just the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. In fact, by some estimates, nearly one-fourth of the UN’s nearly 200 nations are island nations. But…

Our bonus years spark thoughts of “the good ‘ole days.” I’m not talking about board games like Monopoly, card games like canasta or fads like hula hoops. I’m thinking about important things – like your first car. My first car was a ’37 Chevy. Though nearly 20 years old, it was no jalopy. It was…

Many in their bonus years will remember Michael Landon – the American TV actor (also screenwriter, director and producer) known for his role as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza as well as starring roles in Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven. Landon, who passed away in his early 50s, once said “Whatever…